One of the more bizarre images of Manchester United’s season was the sight of Erik ten Hag dancing with Antony at Wembley.
Not one for being overly affectionate with his players, you must be doing something right if you get to tango with Ten Hag. But the United manager has got a soft spot for Antony, and has done since the Brazilian joined him at Ajax in the summer of 2020.
Ten Hag considers Antony a potential game-changer, which is why he was always going to encourage United to fork out such an eye-watering fee for the winger. That fee, north of £80million, has occasionally seemed like a ball and chain in a season when Antony’s high spots have been few and far between.